Page 34 of Divine Oaths

Through a small window in the classroom door, I glimpsed the space. It was one of the more intimate lecture halls; on a circular stage, the professor stood in front of a newly furnished whiteboard, and around him, the concave outer circle was seating filled to the brim, with each chair tucked tightly next to the other. I scanned in by placing my key card against the reader at the door, and a notification lit my phone. When I swiped it open to see why, my student profile showed that I’d lost fifteen points from my merit pool for being late to class. Annoying.

The door squeaked when I pushed it open. Beyond the professor’s voice booming through the auditorium, silence weighed heavy here; every awkward cough, every note scribbled with paper and pen or typed on a keyboard drummed through the auditorium like thunder. I slipped past rows of filled seats until I found an empty one next to a guy with auburn hair, glasses, and freckles that were starkly visible on his skin in the fluorescent lighting. Vaguely, I recalled him from Poppy House.

“The sign-in sheet already went around,” the guy whispered. He adjusted his glasses. “We’re supposed to write down our instruments and rank our skill level.”

“Lucky me.” I reminded myself, though, that it didn’t matter. I wasn’t here to learn or improve my craft. I was here to break the connection between me and Kasem.

“Don’t sweat it,” the guy said. “I already signed you in. You’re a pianist, right? That’s what I put.” I waited for him to bring up my Baby Mozart past, since he seemed to have made the connection. But despite his knowing look, he simply added, “Sorry if I screwed up your signature.”

Unsure, I smiled at him. Even if he knew who I was, it was a relief just being normal.

In front of the class, the professor started talking about the fundamentals of scale and sound, things I’d already learned when I’d taken college credit classes at the local community college while I was in high school.

“You’re the guy who was with Vivian when we got off the fan boat,” I said. “Luke, right?”

“You remember me.”

I hadn’t really. But when he’d leaned forward, my hand had briefly brushed the back of his arm and I’d taken the moment to channel quickly into his past. I’d seen a vision of Luke on the fan boat with me and Vivian, and then was yanked into a brief flashback of a young Luke with his mother, a hippie with bright green eyes and a soft smile, and his father, a former musician who looked nearly identical to Luke, but with light brown skin and an Afro. I watched as they helped Luke choose between which woodwind instruments he might play.

“I wanted to introduce myself to you and Vivian earlier, but… I don’t know. I thought I might seem like I was intruding if I did.”

“You would have been,” I said. “But I wouldn’t have minded.” His expression went from dejection to sheepish relief. Jojo always said my humor could be as biting as it was sweet.

Luke smiled. “Vivian and I ran into each other in the lounge at Poppy House, so it worked out anyway.”

Curiosity nagged at me. Clearly, he and Vivian had talked about me, which could be another explanation for his attempt to get my approval by signing me in.

“You weren’t at the tour yesterday. Were you?”

“I wasn’t feeling well.”

“Yeah, you didn’t miss much. Oh, except—” Luke laughed. “Provost Henning walked in on our RA—you know, that girl with the vocal fry rambling to us on the boat? Apparently, she was hooking up with one of the grad students. In the courtyard. Half-ass naked. Wild as hell. I mean, no one from our tour actually saw it all play out, but someone overheard Joseph talking about it. They’re saying it’s why our tour got cut short. Could just be bogus, though.”

I swallowed, looking away from him. The feeling of the branches clawing at my skin, suffocating me, smothering my breathing; it was unrelenting. And there was Kasem, holding me in his arms. Looking me straight in the eyes and lying about what had occurred. Right before Jojo walked in on us.

“So, what happened? Did they, like, sanction him?”

Luke shook his head. “Apparently, he’s some academic prodigy. He was an undergrad here at fifteen and now he’s in the accelerated graduate program in the School of Business and finishes this year. Probably used his family connections to get out of it. Plus, he’s not that much older than her—just a few months, actually. So there’s technically nothing the school can do about them dating. Just makes them look messy. Which, I guess for Westfield, is just as bad.”

I wondered what Luke and the rest of the student body would say if I told them what had really happened in that maze, hookups, ghosts, and all.

A hand tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up. The girl next to me gestured for us to pay attention. But the professor had stopped his lecture. He’d gone to the door and was talking to someone before he turned back to the class.

“Sianna Adu?” the professor said.

I startled in my seat, clutching my notebook, my grip tight, nervous as I answered him.

“Yes?”

“You’re wanted in the president’s office.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Kill the envious moon

HOOTS FILLED THE LECTURE HALL. At the door, an older woman and a man in a suit and tie stood.

Provost Henning and Alaster.